When Andre Ward retired from boxing in 2017, three months after his second victory over Sergey Kovalev, he left the sport pretty much on top of the world. He was still unbeaten at age 33, still fighting at an elite level, a two-weight champion, and considered by many the best in the world pound-for-pound.
Ward, now 35, has stayed connected with the sport, working as a manager to Shakur Stevenson and as an analyst, first for HBO and now for ESPN’s revitalized boxing brand. And since we see him all the time, it’s clear he’s stayed in shape, meaning people venture now and again if there’s a chance he’ll fight again.
But no idea seemed particularly worthwhile or potentially serious until now. When Canelo Alvarez moved up to 175 pounds to defeat Sergey Kovalev on Nov. 2, winning a world title in a fourth weight class, talk of Ward (32-0, 16 KO) possibly coming back for a huge money fight with Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KO) picked up.
On Friday, Ward spoke on SportsCenter about the idea, accepting he’s had a lot of calls, but ultimately saying he isn’t interested.
“I’m not coming out of retirement to fight Canelo Alvarez,” he said. “There’s been a lot of talk, when (Canelo-Kovalev) was signed, and then obviously since Canelo got the victory over Sergey Kovalev. My phone has been blowing up non-stop, there’s been a lot of pressure from individuals in the business, entertainers, you name it trying to pull me out. It’s just not something I’m interested in doing.”
Ward wants to be clear, though: he’s not avoiding a fight with Alvarez, it’s simply that he’s retired and prefers to keep it that way.
Ward admits he’s already heard the pressure, and that probably won’t stop any time soon. Eventually, it might get him back, with an offer too big to turn down.
